Noisecreep has issued the following report from Carlos Ramirez:

The SCORPIONS sent shockwaves throughout the hard rock community when they announced earlier this week that they would be retiring. In a statement on their official site, the German legends said they would be releasing a new album called Sting Of The Tail in March and then would be heading out on a tour that would span the world "over the next few years."

Noisecreep had to get to the bottom of this and got in touch with guitarist Rudolf Schenker who shared some insight to the band's decision.

Q: First off, why the hell are you guys packing it in?

A: "We were sitting in the studio after we finished tracking Sting Of The Tail, and we realized something rather quickly. We heard these songs together, and it just captured the essence of the '80s Scorpions sound. It sounds like a combination of the best material on the Lovedrive and Crazy World albums. The songs have that feel and spirit. Then our manager had the idea to finish the band on a high note with this record. At first, we thought he was joking (laughter). But then we noticed he was completely being serious. And it turns out, he was right."

Q: So you just wanted to end the band with a high note.

A: "Yes, exactly. Look, we have been around for a long time, and we've done so many great things together. We came out of Germany when no one thought a band from there could rock hard. We've always believed in the band and had fun doing it. Sting Of Te Tail sounds like a classic Scorpions album, so we decided to leave after we get done touring it since it's such a powerful record."

Read more at this location.

As previously reported, Universal Music has announced March 23rd as the North American release date for Sting In The Tail. The album will be released in Europe on March 19th. Album art can be viewed on the left (click image to enlarge).

Scorpions recently issued the following statement via their official website:

"Important message to our fans:

It was always our pleasure, our purpose in life, our passion and we were fortunate enough to make music for you - whether it was live on stage or in the studio, creating new songs.

While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was – and how much fun we were still having, in the process. But there was also something else: We want to end the Scorpions' extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning. This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road. We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years.

We want you, our fans, to be the first to know about this. Thank you for your never-ending support throughout the years!

We uploaded the very first snippets from our new album for you here. And now… let’s get the party started and get ready for a Sting in the Tail!

See you on the world tour."

The band recently confirmed new live dates in France, Belgium and the Czech Republic on their Get Your Sting And Blackout Scorpions World Tour 2010. The band's schedule is now as follows, with more dates to be announced:

March

15 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2 arena
18 - Moscow, Russia - Ice Palace

April

10 - Mons, Belgium - Lotto Mons Expo

May

7 - Leipzig, Germany - Arena (with EDGUY)
8 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle (with Edguy)
12 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle (with Edguy)
14 - Stuttgart, Germany - Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (with Edguy)
15 - Prague, Czech Republic - tba
19 - Paris, France - L' Olympia
21 - Liévin, France - Stade Couvert Régional
22 - Straßburg, France - Zénith
29 - Berlin, Germany - O2 World (with Edguy)
30 - Zwickau, Germany - Stadthalle (with Edguy)

June

1 - Hannover, Germany - TUI Arena (with Edguy)
12 - Recklinghausen, Germany - StadtgartenOpen Air

Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker recently released his official autobiography called Rock Your Life in Germany - a new english promo video for the book can be viewed at this location.

A book description reads as follows:

"The founder and guitarist of the Scorpions reveals his secret: Have fun with happiness and success. Without pain, no gain? In the sweat of thy face? Rudolf Schenker is the living proof of the exact opposite. Consistently, he is a different way. The first priority for him was always fun to what he does. Here he reveals how it happened, why it works and how to use it simply to do. Enriched with fascinating anecdotes from the 40-year history of the band Scorpions. The Scorpions are Germany's most successful rock band of all time (80 million records sold worldwide) 2009 is the Year of the Scorpions - they get the ECHO for their life's work and celebrating 40 years on stage."

An English version of the book is planned. More details will be revealed soon.